FAYETTEVILLE -- Sharing a stage with Arkansas Razorback cheerleaders and backed up by band members, Anne Shelley called for the crowd to respond to a rallying cry that had nothing to do with sports.
"Everyone should be able to live, work, play and learn in safety. Every one of us have a part to play in making that a reality for each other," Shelley told about 150 students at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. "And that's why ..."
"... It's on us," they answered, repeating a phrase that's the title of a national campaign to prevent sexual assault on college campuses.
"Let's do like pompoms and stuff," said Shelley, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Rape Crisis Center. Later she said, "Can we get like a tuba or something going on?"
A short, brassy note sounded, followed by laughter from the students.
The event, held Thursday evening outdoors at UA's Chi Omega Greek Theatre, included Shelley sharing statistics about the prevalence of sexual assault. She said one in five women will be sexually assaulted before leaving college, likely a reference to college-student surveys at various campuses.
As a whole, the rally offered a decidedly upbeat presentation for such a serious subject. Several campus events, many put together by students, have used different methods to target a college audience about sexual assault.
The subject "can be really scary and really sad," said Darbie Kuykendall, president of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and a main organizer of the rally and other events. She helped establish a campus version of the national It's On Us campaign, with UA's Greek Life directing a week's worth of events addressing campus sexual assault.
"I think with this event, we tried to make it known that, yes, it's a bad thing, and yes, it's tragic," said Kuykendall, 20. "But it happens all the time, and if we all gang together and we rally together, we can stop it. I think it was all about getting everyone hyped to make that change."
Among students, interest in the issue is strong, said Tanner Bone, president of UA's Associated Student Government. The group sponsored a Nov. 4 discussion on sexual assault as part of its RED Talks series, modeled after the short TED Talks presentations.
About 400 students attended the Nov. 4 event. It was a crowd that Bone said was much larger than for a similar event on diversity that was held earlier in the year. Free food for early arrivals was advertised as a draw for both events.
Sexual assault is "an issue that's all over campus," Bone said, crediting social media efforts for getting the word out about the student government event.
More recently, Razorback athletes and coaches participated in a short video supporting the It's On Us campaign. The national effort asks supporters to take a pledge recognizing that nonconsensual sex is assault, and to identify and intervene when an assault may occur.
The campus also has received social media support from Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, each using Twitter to align with the sexual assault prevention hashtag #weARcommitted. Fayetteville leaders have been vocal, too, proclaiming Nov. 4 as Sexual Assault Awareness Day.
To deliver a message to students, Steve Gahagans, the university's police director, used play-acting in a presentation at the Nov. 4 student government event.
Gahagans, a police officer for more than 25 years, caressed the shoulder of a young woman seated silently on the stage, an undergraduate student and police dispatcher.
"Look at Krista here, this is my girl, this is my main squeeze. She's beautiful, she's sexy, I love her," said Gahagans, explaining that he wanted to talk about "first base, second base, third base, fourth base" in describing levels of intimacy.
At one point in his talk, Gahagans put his arm under the woman's legs to almost lift her from her seat. At another, he leaned in close and appeared to run his hand up her leg until she asked him what he was doing and used her hand to block his from going farther.
After a bit more dialogue, Gahagans turned to the crowd and boomed, "What did I just do, that I think is extremely important for you to do? I picked up on a nonverbal cue of, 'Hey, I'm OK with a little bit of this, but let's not go any further.'"
After the event, audience member Morgan Aldridge, a 21-year-old senior, said she thought Gahagans "was trying to shock the students who weren't expecting it." She added: "You may laugh at first, but this is real-life stuff."
Gahagans said it wasn't his intention to shock anyone in the audience.
"What we try to do is use a demonstration to kind of give them that visual, so they can have a better understanding of what we're trying to convey," Gahagans said.
UA has a standing peer education program, Rape Education Services by Peers Encouraging Conscious Thought, that's advised by university staff member Mary Wyandt-Hiebert, director of the university's Support, Training, Advocacy and Resources Central office.
"It is encouraging that other student groups are taking on some initiatives, as well, as more momentum builds to address sexual violence," Wyandt-Hiebert wrote in an email, adding that the efforts that she advises promote cultural change to prevent sexual violence.
"When programs are geared toward specific audiences, the messaging may be tailored to better resonate with the audience," Wyandt-Hiebert wrote.
UA's Greek Life also organized another educational event geared toward students who recently joined fraternities or sororities, with about 300 students attending, said Parice Bowser, UA's Greek Life director.
More women than men attended the student government event and the rally, but not by an overwhelming margin.
Patrick Williams, 18, went to the rally with about 40 members of his pledge class to the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
"It definitely means something to say it and not just think it," Williams said of the It's On Us pledge. "To put it into words just kind of makes it more real, I guess."
Rachel Deems, a 21-year-old senior, said she appreciated the Thursday rally as a way of getting students together.
"I think it's creating a more unified culture instead of talking at students," Deems said.
Metro on 11/15/2015